Bird flu still spreading in AfricaWhile H5N1 has been successfully controlled in Western Europe and much of South-East Asia apart from Indonesia, it is still expanding in Africa and will remain a threat for years to come, says the FAO deputy director-general (Source: FAO).

No bird flu in Zambia or ZimbabweZimbabwe has allayed fears of a bird flu outbreak in the town of Victoria Falls following the deaths of wild birds in neighbouring Livingstone, Zambia. Tests showed the birds did not die from H5N1 (Source: Xinhua).

Bird flu controlled in NW China provinceThe Ministry of Agriculture said that the bird flu epidemic in Hotan county of northwest China had been controlled, with no new cases for 21 days since poultry were culled (Source: Xinhua).

New OIE centre to tackle bird flu across AfricaThe World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) has set up its first regional control centre in Africa with the aim of coordinating measures against bird flu by collating and disseminating veterinary information and producing health guidelines for international trade in animals (Source: IRIN).

Delaying the international spread of pandemic influenzaA study shows that restrictions on air travel are likely to be of surprisingly little value in delaying the spread of pandemic flu; local interventions to reduce transmission would be more effective, it says (Source: PloS Medicine).